United Firefighters Union suspends Trades Hall membership

THE militant United Firefighters Union has severed ties with Victoria’s Trades Hall Council amid a bitter Labor factional brawl.

THE militant United Firefighters Union has severed ties with Victoria’s Trades Hall Council amid a bitter Labor factional brawl.

The Herald Sun can reveal UFU boss Peter Marshall wrote to Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari in recent months to suspend the union’s membership, claiming they could no longer support the organisation.

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It is understood Mr Marshall was enraged by a factional deal that resulted in former emergency services minister Jane Garrett being installed into a safe Upper House seat after next month’s state election.

The UFU is no longer participating in decisions made by Trades Hall, which is the labour movement’s peak body made up of 40 affiliated unions representing about 430,000 Victorian workers.

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed on Wednesday union bosses had sided with Ms Garrett and demanded the UFU end its campaign of bullying and harassment against her.

They voiced their fury at UFU “blowhards” and “wreckers”, prompting more anger from UFU members.

Former emergency services minister Jane Garrett. Picture: David Caird

The united front — from the leaders of the CFMMEU, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, the Transport Workers Union and the Health and Community Services Union — was sparked after UFU member Geoff Barker launched court action to try to overturn Ms Garrett’s preselection.

Lawyers for Mr Barker on Wednesday managed to expedite his case, with a Supreme Court trial to be held next Thursday.

Michael Pearce SC, for Mr Barker, told the court there was an “urgency” to get the trial listed as the election approaches.

He said there were questions around whether the preselection vote taken by Labor’s administrative committee was conducted in accordance with the law.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the factional fight was “not at all” distracting from Labor’s election campaign, as he backed Ms Garrett as an “outstanding member of my team”.

“I’m very confident that she’s going to make a great contribution in the Legislative Council, just as she has as the member for Brunswick in the last couple of terms,” he said.

“I’m not about talking about court cases. Court cases, as the name suggests, are a matter for courts. Party preselection matters are matters for the state secretary,” he said.

Mr Marshall did not comment last night.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the UFU had “acted like a pack of bullies” for years.

“What a surprise there are bullies in the union movement, what a surprise, given that the Premier has acted that way himself to his own minister,” Mr Guy said.

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